House of Js Coffee — Restaurant in Arvada

The coffee itself is better than Starbucks, but I wish they were open on Sundays because that's the day I most frequently feel like getting a latte as opposed to having my own coffee at home. My most recent visit was a disappointment that I feel obligated to share. First of all, every time I bought beans in the past the baristas have offered me a free small drip coffee which is awesome, especially since they mark up Corvus coffee to like $20-24 when Corvus sells the same beans for $17. No biggie considering the free drip and convenience of them being blocks from my house. This time I grabbed my bag of beans and when they asked if I wanted anything else, I realized the free drip wasn't an option so I went ahead and ordered a latte since I was already there and craving one.

I stood off to the side and waited as I usually do. I noticed there was an espresso shot sitting on the machine. I watched another drink of two get made (not espresso drinks) and wondered if they were going to dump that shot that was sitting. Nope a few minutes past and I saw that shot go into my latte. A friend of mine owns a coffee shop in NYC that I used to frequent and placed top 5 at an international barista championship, so I know espresso shots start to deteriorate as the crema starts to break down in those first 10-15 seconds from being pulled. The drink ended up being better than Starbucks, and the barista may not have known espresso shots need to be blended with the milk or water immediately, so I didn't even bring it up.

Fast forward a day and I tasted the Corvus beans I bought. They had absolutely zero taste, even my wife who isn't picky about coffee was really disappointed. Turns out the beans I bought were like a full 28 days past roasting. Beans need a few days to rest after roasting, but once two weeks hits they are starting to go down hill aromatically and taste wise. Another coffee shop locally that was run by a friend of mine used to discount beans after two weeks and write them off at four weeks.

I don't write this seeking any solution because honestly it's still better than Starbucks, but I do think a specialty shop like this should be held to a higher standard especially in terms of drink preparation and shelf...

Wow, such a disappointing coffee experience. I visited Js because they claim to know good coffee, and when I went in, and asked about their coffee, the staff started with “we don’t serve drip after 12” which is not what I asked, but very much set the tone that this place was not here for customer service. When I proceeded to ask about their single origin pour over, the staff couldn’t tell me a single thing about the beans, weather it was a dark or light roast, or where that single origin location even was. If I wanted a plain coffee, I would go to Dunkin and not ask questions, but when you bill yourself as a place with good coffee knowledge, you should be able to answer the most basic coffee questions. The staff here clearly can’t wait to close the shop, and get out of there, which made me want to...

House of J's has to be my top coffee shop. I go there to work or just relax on Saturday morning. Their rotating seasonal menu is always top notch. Some of my favorites are their wildflower latte, huckleberry cold brew, and blueberry pie latte. They put the right amount of syrup to coffee so it's not too sweet and the coffee flavor still comes through. Also, even if you aren't gluten free, try their bread. The chocolate zucchini bread is my favorite! And of course, don't forget a Bonfire Burrito.

Everyone in there is so friendly, and they have a variety of spaces so you can work on a cozy chair or at table. For sure the best coffee...